Justice Tsoho Vs CCB: Bushmeat Don Catch Hunter

By: Abdulqadir Muhammad Alhaji

The catchphrase, bushmeat don catch hunter, used in Nigeria, is a phrase that sums up a scenario where the hunter ends up the hunted; the metaphorical reversal of power order, where a person who used to be in a position of authority or advantage ends up in a vulnerable or compromised situation. This term has emerged in the recent past in discussions related to John Terhemba Tsoho in Abuja, hence putting a strong indication that the course of justice in Nigeria has changed dramatically.

This report, therefore, has taken a systemic study of the above situation, placed it in its wider contextual background and has evaluated the effects on the judiciary and governance systems of Nigeria.

Justice Tsoho is a decades old member of the judiciary of Nigeria who attended the University of Lagos where he studied law and was called to bar after his training at the Nigerian Law School. He started as a magistrate in the state of Benue, and then in 1998, he became a judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria.

He was nominated as the acting Chief Judge of the Federal High Court in 2019, succeeded by acting Chief Justice Tanko Muhammad and in 2019, nominated as Chief Judge.

Recent reports however allege that the senior judicial officer might not have declared all the bank accounts in his asset declaration presented to the Code of Conduct Bureau in 2024, which is mandatory to all the public officials under the Code of Conduct laws in Nigeria.

The Code of Conduct Bureau which oversees adherence to asset declaration regulations by those holding office in the public has been reported to take interest in the development, while Justice Tsoho has reportedly accepted to appear before the Bureau, expressing willingness to respond to the allegations and prove his innocence or otherwise.

Although the issue has not been completely addressed, the scandal has brought up the debate in the legal and societal context of Nigeria in regards to transparency and accountability in the judiciary.

To most of the observers, the situation unfolding reminds them of the old Nigerian proverb “bushmeat don catch hunter.”